Adjustable lamp or other stand



(No Model.)

J. H. 80u88.- ADJSTABLB LAMP 0R. OTHER-STAND. v

v'Patented Nov. zo, 1888.

Iig. 8.

N. PETERS. Fholo-Lmwgmpmr, washington, I74 C.

Nrrnn STATES JOHN H. ROUSE, OF SOMRVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO THE R. HOLLINGS di COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. l

ADJUSTABLE LAMP OR OTHER STAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,031, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed Apr-i175, i887. Serial No. 233,734. (No model.)

To all wwm'iz may concern.-

Be it known that I, J oHN H. RoUsE, of Somerville, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Adjustable Lamp or other Stands, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in lamp or other stands or supports, and has for its object to provide an adjustable supporting stem or standard by which a lamp or other stand may be raised and lowered to adjust it to any desired height.

At the outset I wish to distinguish my invention from previous illuminating'-fixtures; and to this end I acknowledge that it is common in extension gas or lamp chandeliers or drop-lights to use a stationary tube to be suspended from a ceiling, and to connect with said tube, either internally or externally, a sliding or vertically-adjustable tube which receives the burners or lamps, and which by its weight acts upon concealed clutch mechanism to hold itself in any given adjusted position with relation to the stationary tube. My invention utilizes this extension principle in au organization adapted to be supported upon the floor and capable of being moved from place to place where the light or other thing supported is desired to be placed, thevspecial application of such principle constituting my invention beingin thenow-popularportablelamp-stands, the essential features of such a stand being a .foot or base, a tubular standard rigid thereon,

an adjustable member telescoping in such standard and receiving the tlamp, and means for effecting the adj ust-ment of such telescoping member in said standard, so as to place the light at the desired elevation. Vith this limitation and explanation I will now proceed to specifically set forth the construction of my invention.

My invention consists in a stationary tube having a foot or base to rest on the iioor. and a movable tube extended into it, and a head or receiver attached to the upper end of the mov# able tube, combined with a concealed clutch mechanism, substantially as will be described,

which is kept in` engagement so long as the pressure due to the gravity of the sliding tube and its attached parts is not overcome, as will be described.

Y My invention in stands for a lamp or other article also consists in au adjustable standard composed, essentially, of two tnbes,one of which is made movable with relation to the other, and a clutch mechanism vcooperating therewith to hold the same in position in which they may be left by the operator,'eombined with a hard piece or collar provided with a sleeve or extension to aetuate and release the said clutch mechanism when it is desired to lengthen or shorten the standard or to withdraw from or insert one tube into the other, such movement of the parts enabling the position or height of the lamp or other article to be adjusted with relation to the floor ofthe room in which the lamp is used.

In this my invention to adjust the height of the lamp it is necessary only to slightly move a head-piece or collar, which may be readily grasped by the hand, the head-piece or collar loosening the clutch, and thereafter the lamp may be raised or lowered freely.

Y Fignrel in sectional elevation shows a lamp or other stand made adjustable in accordance With my invention, the lampfount being removed; Fig. 2, asection on line x fr, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a section of Fig. l on line xx', the supportingbase being removed; Fig. 4., a detail view of the hand-piece or collar; Fig. 5, a detail of the upper part of the inner or sliding tube; Fig. 6, a detail on an enlarged scale, showing part of theguide-rod and inner 0r sliding tube to support the lamp or other ar! ticle, the clutch shown being composed of braided wire, as is also the ease in Fig. 1; Fig. 7, an outside view of the clutch shown in Figs. l and 6; Fig. 8, a longitudinal section of a modified form of lamp or other stand, it having a different form of clutch; Fig. 9, a section of Fig. 8 on line y y, and Figs. l0 and ll details to be referred to.

Referring to Fig. 1, a is a metal tube, shown as screwed into a base or foot, A, composed of metal or other suitable material and of any desired or fanciful design, the said base also supporting aclutch bar or rod, a', herein shown IOO as screwed into a threaded socket inV the said base or foot.

The head or receptacle c, to receive or snstain the lamp or other article be supported, is

joined to a neck, b, preferably by a threaded projection on the head or receptacle c entering a threaded hole in the said neck; but, if desired, the neck might form part of the rcceptacle.

The neck b is secured to the upper end of a tube, b', herein called the inner77 or sliding77 tube, it being extended into the metal tube a, herein also called the onter7 tube, the tube b surrounding the clutch bar or rod a. The lower end of the inner tube, b', is provided with a collar, b, shown in Figs. 1 and 6 as bored centrally, the said collar supporting one part of the clutch mechanism, which, in the form of my invention shown in Figs 1 and 6, is a braided wire tube, b, the internal diameter of the said tube in its normal condition being substantially the same as or a trifle smaller than the external diameter of the clutch bar or roda surrounded by it, and which in the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to G constitutes the second member of the clutch. The upper end of the braided wire tube has a small collar, b", which lits the rod e loosely. The inner'tube, b', and the parts sustained by it are of such weight as to normally stretch the braidedwire tube b3, thus contracting it iu diameter and causing the said tube to firmly grasp the rod a and operate asa clutch to prevent the descent of the tube b and the parts supported by it. Compression of the braided tube b in the direction of its length causes it to be expanded, thus releasing its hold upon the rod a', in which condition the inner tube, b', may be moved freely up or down upon the said rod, as desired.

rllhe compression of the braided wire tube or l the release of the stretch is effected by a downward movement by the hand of a hand-piece or collar, 1r", forming part of the external 1inish of the stand and shown as encircling the inner tube, Z1', and connected by a cross-head, b, (see Fig. 4,) extended through slots b7 in the inner tube, b', (see Fig. 5,) with a sleeve or extension, bs. The sleeve or extension b", as shown, is provided with a foot, c2, which, when the before-mentioned downward manual movement of the collar bi and tube b is ef fected, presses uponthe collar 5*, attached to the end of the braided wire tube, to compress and thus expand the braided wire tube and permit the tube b ofthe stand to be raised or lowered so long as the collar b5 is grasped by the operator and the clutch is kept open, or, in other words, while the braided wire tube b is compressed and expanded, so as n'ot to hug the rod c. As soon as the operator releases his grasp upon the collar, a spring, c', encircling the rod 1/ and supported by the collar b2, acts to raise the sleeve or extension bs away from the collar b, thereby permitting the braided wire tube to elongate and grasp the said rod a and maintain the stand at the desired height. The inner tube, b', is extended through a care'2 on the outer tube a the said cap acting as a guide for the inner tube. The outer tube, a, may be plain or it may be of any desired or ornamental design.

I prefer to employ a clutch composed of a rod and a braided wire tube to grasp the same; but instead of such a clutch I may employ any other suitable or well-known clutch mechanism capable of being concealed in the outer tube and operated from outside the said tube.

Figs. 8 to 11 show one modified form of clutch mechanism which I may employ, it consisting, essentially, ofa springsupported slide, c, having a projection, d', and a longitudinal rib, c, having holes eAk at suit-able intervals apart. The rib referred to is secured to the tube a by solder or in other suitable manner,

or it may form an integral part thereof. The slide cl2 and two slides, c, likeit, except as to the projection d', are carried loosely by the inner tube, b, provided at its lower end with slots cx, the tube being surrounded above and below the said slots by two collars, ci el, the collar c being provided, as shown, with three V-shapcd projections or legs, c, thus forming three V-shaped spacesone at each slot-for the reception of theslides cliand c, the said collar c5 also having asmaller beveled projection, as c, (see Figs. 8 and 11,) extended into each slot cy behind one of the said slides. The collar ci is provided with a longitudinal groove, es, (see Fig. 10,) to embrace therib @and permit the said collar c5 to enter the outer tube.

As herein shown, each slot cX receiveswithin it a like stud, cl", of one of the slides, el2 or c, moving in the spaces formed between the legs c, the said slides being normally pressed up in the said spaces by a spring, d, contained within a tubular cap, d2, forming part of the inner tube, b', the said cap being shown as screwed into the collar el, the studs on theslides resting upon the said spring. I

As herein shown,I have pro-vided the spring at each end with a metal washer, as 4. One of the slides, as c, is also provided with a groove yto register with the groove es of the collar c5. The slide c" has a small projection, d', to enter one or the other of the holes c4 in the rib c3 to hold the lamp or other stand in its adjusted position.

The inner tube, b', near its upper end, is encircled by a collar, b5, provided with a crosshead, b, extended through slots lf in the said tube, the said collar having an extension or sleeve, b3, as also shown in Fig. 1, extended down into the inner tube, the said extension resting upon the studs cw.

As shown in Fig. 8, the lamp or other stand is securely locked in its adjusted position by the projection d entering one of the holes c* of the rib ci, the spring d acting upon the studs cm to keep the slide-blocks pressed up against the collar c5 or between the arms c, as shown in Figs. S and 10.

If it is desired to raise or lower the lamp or other stand constructed as shown in Fig. 8,

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the inner tube is first liftcdslightly, so as to remove the narrower end ofthe beveled projection c from behind or above the top of the slide cl2, thus leaving the said slide free to be moved inward or away from the rib c3, when the hand-piece or collar and its extension is thereafter pressed down to effect the complete disengagement of the projection d from a hole,4 0*, in the said rib. As the projection d on the slide c12 is disengaged from a hole, c, all the other slides fall inward toward the inner tube, b', their lower edges resting upon the collar cl, and when in this position the inner tube may be moved freely up or down, as desired, to adjust the stand. Vhen the stand is in the desired adjusted position, pressure upon the collar b5 is removed, and thereafter the spring d, acting upon the studs el, forces the slides upward until the projection d engages the hole above itin the longitudinal rib c?.

As shown in Fig. 8, most of the base or foot A of the outer tube, a, is omitted.

I have herein described my improved adj ustable stand as applied in the main to a lamp; but I wish it to be understood that I do not limit my invention to only such applica tion, as it is evident niyinvention may be employed to good advantage whenever an adjustable support or standfis desired-as, for instance, it may be employed t-o support vases to contain flowers or to hold any other article the position ofvwhich it is desired to adjust or change vertically.

By the term head l or receptacle I in tend to cover a device to receive something upon or within it,\vhich thing is to be supported by or upon the standas,for instance, the head or receptacle might be a shelf or bracket.

I claim- 1. A vertically-adjustable stand for lamps and other articles, composed of atube, a, and its attached supporting base or foot, atube,b,

arranged within and vertically movable in said 1irst-named tube,a clutch rod or bar secured to the foot and projecting up within the tube b', and a head or receptacle attached to said tube b, and a clutch mechanism concealed, substantially as described, from view within the inner tube and to engage said clutch rod or bar, the said clutch being operated automatically to effect the support of the inner tube and its attached parts with relation to the outer tube y and base or foot, substantially as described.

2. A vertically-adjustable stand i'or lamps and other articles,composed of a tube, a,and its attached supporting base or foot,a tube, b', arranged Within and vertically movable in said first-named tube, and a head or receptacle attached to said tube Z/,and a clutch mechanism concealed, substantially as described, from vieuT and carried by the inner tube to support it, and the verticallymovable hand-piece or collar projecting laterally beyond the inner tube below the head and receptacle and' forming part of the external finish of the stand and having a connected sleeve or extension to operate the concealed clutch to enable the tubes to be adjusted, substantially as specified.

In an adjustable stand, a clutch bar-or i concealed from View, as described,and a spring arranged within the movable tube, and interposed between the clutch and said tube, and normally permitting the clutch to support the said tube, substantially as described.

5. In an adjustable lamp-stand, a foot or base, a stationary outer tube secured to the foot or base, a movable innertube telescoping Within said outer tube, and a lamp-receptacle on said inner tube, combined With a clutch constructed as an expansible and contracti ble tube, substantially as described.

6. In angadjustable stand, a foot or base, a stationary tube secured thereto, a tube telescoping within said stationary tube, an eXpansible and contractible clutch carried by the telescoping tube, and a springseparating said clutch and its releasing device, combined with the clutehreleasing device, such as a rod, vertically movable in said tube and engaging the spring and clutch to disengage the latter, substantially as described.

7. In an adjustable stand for lamps, a foot or base, a stationary tube secured thereto, a tube telescoping within said stationary tube and carrying a head or receptacle, a clutch carried by the telescoping tube, and a spring arranged within and carried by the telescoping tube and normally preventing the clutchreleasing device from acting on the clutch, combined withthe said clutch-releasing device, composed of a sleeve or rod vertically movable in said telescoping tube to act on the spring and clutch to disengage the latter, and a hand-piece or collar projecting beyond said telescoping tube below said head or receptacle and forming part of the external finish of the stand, substantially as described. l

8. In an adjustable stand, a clutch bar or rod, a tube movable thereon, a braided wire tube connected with said movabletube and surrounding said rod, and a head or receptaele connected with the movable tube, combined with a hand-piece or collar, as b, having an extension to compress the braided wire tube, substantially as described.

9. A vertically-adjustable stand for lamps and other articles, composed,`cssentially, of a clutch rod or tube and its attached supporting base or foot, a tube vertically movable upon said clutch rod or tube, and a head or ICO IIO

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receptacle attached to said movable tube, and a. clutch mechanism concealed, substantially as described, from view Within the said movable tube, the said clutch being operated automatically to effect the support of the movable tube and its attached parts with relation to said clutch rod or tube and base o1' foot, substantially as specified.

10. A vertically-adj ustable stand for lamps, composed, essentially, .of a clutch rod or tube and its attached supporting base or foot, a tube vertically movable with relation to said clutch rod or tube, and a head or receptacle for the lamp attached to said movable tube, and a eluteh mechanism concealed substau tially as described, from View and carried by said movable tube to support it, and the vertieal1y-movable hand-piece or collar extended laterally from the movable tube below the head or receptacle and forming part of the 2o external finish of the stand, and having a connected sleeve or extension to operate the concealed clutch and enable the movable tube to be adj usted, substantially as speeied. l

In testimony whereofhave signed my name 25 to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses JOHN H. HOUSE. Vitnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, JAS. H. CHURCHILL. 

